Machine for treating tobacco-stems.



F. LAUHOPF.

MACHINE FOR. TREATING TOBAGGO STEMS.

APPLICATION IILBD MAR.27, 1897.

Patented June 9, 19145 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

2 IWVE/VTOQ MW By 0; fltlorney A {VITJVESES Z,

F. LAUHOPF. MACHINE FOR TREATING TOBACCO STEMS.

APPLICATION FILED 161111.27, 1697.

1,099,2 0, Patented June 9, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WITNESSES 17V VE/VTOQB By mzme F. LAUHOFF.

MACHINE FOR TREATING TOBAGGO STEMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.27, 1897. 1 099 260 Patented June 9, 1914.

4 SHEETS--BHEET 3.

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F. LAUHOFF.

MACHINE FOR TREATING TOBACCO STEMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1897.

Patented June 9, 1914.

' 4 SHEETB--SHEET 4.

w awawl UNITED. STATEES Pri TENT OFFICE.

FRANK LAUHOFF, 011' DETROIT. MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR TREATING TOBACCO-STEMS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, FRANK Liuurorr, citizen of the United States, residing at. Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Treating Tobacco-Stems, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object a machine for treating tobacco stems, so as to produce a material that may be readily granulated to a product similar to granulated leaf stems, and it consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of devices and appliances hereinafter described and clain'ied, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line :'5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a view partly in, plan and partly in horizontal section showing portions of the device. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view in vertical cross section through one of the knives and related devices. Fig. 8 is a partial side elevation showing one of the brackets L engaged upon, the support showing parts broken away. Fig. 9 is a detail view in side elevation of one of said brackets engaged upon the support.

Tt is well understood that in the manufacture of tobacco a great waste has heretoi fore occurred from inability to use the tobacco stems to any very considerable extent. Various efforts have been made to utilize them, but without satisfactory results hitherto, but my invention is designed. and adapted to so flatten the stems as to enable the product to be used up in the manufacture of certain kinds of tobacco, as granulated smoking tobacco, for example, with out injuring the quality of the tobacco, or cheapening its value, thereby effecting a very great saving to tobacco manufacturers, in enabling them to use up their stems which have commonly gone to waste. I accomplish my object by providing a machine which Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 27, 1897.

Patented Juliet), 1914.

Serial No. 629,481.

causing considerable friction and consequent heating of the rolls. It is important to have the rolls heated to a proper temperature to secure satisfactory results in treating the stems, yet too great a temperature of the rolls will render the machine incapable of proper operation, and it is very essential therefore. that means be provided to govern the tempeature of the rolls as desired. To this end my invention contemplates constructing the rolls B, B hollow, asshown in Figs. 4t and 5 particularly, and also to construct the axles or shafts b and b of said rolls, respectively, each with a water inlet channel 6 communicating with the inner chamber B? of the roll, each axle being also constructed with an outlet channel 6 communicating with the chamber of the roll, thereby effectually providing for water circulation through the axles or shafts of the rolls to cool said shafts in their bearings,

and also to cool the rolls to a proper temperature.

C denotes the boxes of the shafts or axles of therolls. One feature of my invention aims to provide means for cooling said boxes also. lo secure this result, each of said boxes is constructed with an inner chamber C, preferably formed in a hollow back portion C through which water may circulate.

Into each box is therefore led a water inlet pipe, and a water outlet pipe. It will be understood that the pressure upon the shafts, being chiefly toward the back, or away from the meeting edges of the rolls, the back of the boxes will be heated most, and I therefore prefer to construct the backs of the boxes hollow to receive the water circulation. I prefer to provide amain feed Water pipe D, which may lead into one of said boxes 0, as at the base thereof, an outlet pipe D leading from the corresponding box. From the pipe D may lead a pipe D into the shaft of the adjacent roll, The pipe D may also be connected with an additional pipe.

the water led into the shafts of the rolls is conducted into the interior chambers of the rolls and is discharged therefrom at the opposite side of the machine, as through pipes D and D The water fed into the adjacent boxby the pipe D may be discharged therefrom through a pipe D The boxes at the opposite side of the machine may be supplied with feed water and outlet pipes, also in any suitable manner. Thus, for example, E may denote a feed inlet pipe leading into the adjacent box, while E denotes an outlet pipe leading therefrom, and to the next box, an outlet pipe E leading from the last named box. The rolls may be driven in any desired manner, as by a driving )ulley F upon one of the shafts of the rolls, t e opposite ends of the shafts being geared together as by gears F and F It is found desirable that one of the rolls should have a yielding engagement upon the support A and that it should be adjustable toward and from the opposite roll, so that it may be set as snugly against the other roll as may be desired to accomplish the desired results. One of the rolls and its boxes may have a fixed engagement upon the support or frame work of the machine. I do not limit myself solely to any given construction, whereby one of the rolls may be adjusted, but as shown in the drawings, this-may be accomplished by providing the support or frame-work 'A with a guide or way G, at each side of themachine, the boxes of the adjustable roller having a movable engagement upon said guide or way. In addition, the machine is provided 7 with guides or ways G at the upper ends or tops of the boxes upon which the boxes of the adjustable roller may also have a movable engagement. I prefer that the boxes, at the bottom and top of each, should be provided with lateral flanges to project over and astride of the guides or ways G and G The boxes of the adjacent roller may be adjusted by screws H suitably supported. To provide for a yielding of the adjacent roller I interpose springs, indicated at H bearing against the adjustable boxes located between said boxes and the adjacent extremities of the adjusting screws. It sometimes happens that nails or other foreign matter will pass into the machine between the rolls, but by permitting one of the rolls to yield such foreign matter may pass between the rolls with.- gut= serious {injury to the machine.

The adjusting screws are shown having a threaded engagement in uprights H engaged with the adjacent extremities of the guides G and G The opposite extremities of said guides may be bolted down to the frame-work of the machine as by bolts J,

thereby holding the boxes firmly in position.'

roll rotating at the higher speed. To sepa-' rate the product from. therolls, I provide each of the rolls with mechanism to cut the product off from the rolls. As shown in the drawings, this cutting mechanism may consist of brackets L having an adjustable engagement upon the bed or frame A of the machine, in any suitable manner. Thus the brackets may be formed with a laterally projecting flange L provided with elongated slots Z through which bolts Z engage the brackets upon said bed, with an intervening friction plate Z between the head of the bolts and said flange, the bolts being of just suflicient length to engage the brackets upon the support without unduly binding the same thereupon, but permitting the adjustment of said brackets. The brackets L are constructed with a base or bed L upon which rests an adjustable plate or knifeholder L made reciprocatory by means of adjusting screws Z engaged with the base or bed L and with said plate or knife-holder. The brackets L'are grooved, as indicated at Fig. 9 at Z to receive the extremities of the knife-holder L while the bed L is preferably formed with an upturned flange, as shown, to receive the adjusting screws V.

L denotes a cap serving as a clamp also to hold a blade or knife L between said cap and the plate or holder L said cap may be engaged upon said plate or knife holder by means of screws Z In this manner it will. be evident, that the knife blade L may readily be adjusted toward and from the adjacent roll. The holder L and cap are preferably constructed with curved bearings to ward their lower edges on their adjacent faces, as indicated at Z and Z whereby the edge of the knife may be adjusted vertically as may be required, the knife being per mitted a rocking movement upon said bearings Z and Z the edge of the knife being adjusted vertically by means of screws L passing through the cap and bearing upon the knife-blade above the bearings Z v and F. In this manner the knife blades may be set snugly against the adjacent rolls. brackets L are also preferably connected with the adjacent boxes'in'any suitable mart ner, so that the boxes and the corresponding knife-blade or cutting mechanism may The i be adjusted and yield simultaneously with the corresponding roll. Should a nail or some other hard foreign substance be carried through the rolls, it will be evident that if the cutting mechanism was not arranged to yield with the roll and its boxes, the roll backing against the edge of the knife would take the cutting edge off the knife. This would obviously be the case if the cutting mechanism was rigid in its location; But my invention contemplates the simultaneous yielding of the cutting mechanism and its adjustment with the yielding and adj ustment of the roll and its boxes. As shown, the brackets L are connected with the boxes by means of arms L.

M denotes bridges at the sides of the machine extending across from one box to the other at each side of the machine to hold the boxes more snugly in position. These bridges may be fastened upon the support or frame of the machine in any suitable manner, as by bolts m.

It will be understood that the water pipes may be provided with any suitable valves, indicated at c to control the circulation therethrough. I prefer that the outlet pipes D and D leading out of the shafts should discharge into a funnel (Z. This funnel may be open so that the flow of the water can be watched.

N denotes the product being cut off from the rolls by the knife blades. It will be understood that the product may be carried from the machine in any desired manner.

The operation of the machine will. be understood, the rolls being heated to a proper temperature, the stems arefed thereto, the product sticking to the rolls and being cut off therefrom in a thin film by the knives. The water circulation prevents any overheating of the rolls and may be held to such a point of adjustment as to properly control the temperature of the rolls. When the product is cut off from the rolls by the knife blades, the blades leave the roll perfectly clean to the rear of the knife edge so that as the rolls rotate they are in condition to receive succeedingstems fed thereto, and accomplish eflicient work in flattening the same. Should the knife blade become dull, the caps may be readily removed and sharpened blades be replaced in the cutting mechanism. The stems, it Will be understood, are fed to the machine in a properly moistened or pliable condition. The knife holder or plate 11 is engaged at its extremities in corresponding recesses in the brackets L, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6. The cells of the tobacco stems are occupied with a gummy substance, which when the stem is moistened and heated and pressed to a tissue, will coat the product with a sort of film or glaze analogous to the appearance of the natural leaf portion.

It is obviously, very important to have the adjustable roll and the knife to move simultaneously so as not to dull the knife, as when some hard foreign substance passes between the rolls and crowds the rolls apart. By having the cutting device so connected with the adjustable boxes of the roller, the knife will give or recede with every receding movement or jar upon the roll, the knife not only being prevented from being (lulled, but is also held up and main tained in a uniform position relative to the roll all the time. By constructing the knife holder L" with the curved bearing 1 and the cap I! with the curved bearing Z, it is evident that if the knife does not set unifm-mly with its edge across its entire length snugly against the roll, the knife can readily be adjusted at any desired point by means of the set screws L, which, as shown in Fig. (3 are located in different positions along the length of the knife, whereby the knife may be evenly and uniformly set throughout in proper contact with the surface of the roll to secure the desired result and an even cutting off of the stock adhering to the roll. It is important therefore to have various set screws bearing upon the knife along its length, whereby the operator may thus set and keep the knife in an even contact all along its edge with the roll.

in the operation of the machine, as hereinbefore described, the rolls, together with the stock operated upon are heated, softening the contents of the cells in the tobacco stems, enabling the contents of the cells when thus softened and subjected to the pressure of the rolls to be more effectually spread over the surface of the flattened product to glaze the surfaces of the product over as the contents of the cells are thus spread in a softened condition over said surfaces, while, as already observed, at the same time the heating of the rolls and stock causes the flattened product to stick to the roll necessitating its being cut off with a sharp knife. \Vhen so cut off, the contents of the cells of the stem coating the surfaces of the product gives to the product much the same form and appearance as that of the natural leaf. it will be observed that the water pipes are arranged so as to feed a fresh supply of water continually through the rolls, the rolls being fed by the two pipes D and D, the water after passing through the corresponding roll not returning through the other roll, but the two rolls being provided with independent discharges of the water therefrom, so that each roll is thus provided with its own independent water circulation. By this means eachroll may be kept of desired temperature in a ready and convenient manner. The inlet pipes connected into the corresponding rolls, are preferably connected thereinto by means of an intervening stuffing box, indicated at Q, in Fig. 5 of any suitable construction, a pipe Q rotating with the roll having a rotatable connection in the stufling box. So also the outlet channels of the axles of the rolls at the opposite ends thereof, as above described, preferably discharge into the funnels (Z through intervening pipes D, D said pipes D and D rotatable with the-con responding rolls and revolubly connected in the corresponding funnels, as shown. It will be understood, however, that, while this arrangement of the water circulating pipes is preferred, any other suitable arrangement for circulating the liquid through the rolls to secure the desired control of the temperature of the rolls may be used.

The process and product described herein are covered by my Patent No. 77 2,892, dated October 18th, 1904:.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a machine for the purpose described, the combination of a support, the rolls, transverse lower and upper guides at each side of the machine upon said support, boxes for the shafts of said. rolls between said lower and said upper guides, the boxes of the shaft for one of said rolls being adjustable upon said support between said guides, means to adjust the position of the movable boxes to adjust the corresponding roll toward and from the other roll, and transverse bridges at the sides of the machine lo-' cated above the upper guides and bearing at their extremities upon the upper guides, said. bridges extending, respectively, across eachend of the machine from one of said boxes to the box of the corresponding roll to hold said boxes more snugly in position, and means to secure said bridges upon the support of the machine, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of horizontal rolls and their shafts constructed to provide water circulation therethrongh, boxes for said shafts, and means to feed water through each of said rolls, the water circulation through the rolls being independent the one .of the other, the boxes of one of said shafts made adjustable to adjust one of said rolls horizontally throughout its entire length toward and from theother roll, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a support, the rolls, and cutting mechanism arranged to cut the stock off from the rolls, said cutting mechanism having an adjustable engagement on said support adjacent to said rolls, one of said rolls and the adjacent cutting mechanism having a simultaneously yielding movement toward and from the other roll, substantially as described.

4-. The combination of the rotatable rolls, the support, the knives arranged upon said support adjacent to said rolls, said knives beclosely into contact with the corresponding rolls, substantially as described.

5. The combination with tween edges on the holder and the cap and arranged to cut the stock off from the rolls, the brackets, the base engaged with said brackets to support said knife holder, and knife, means to adjust the holder toward and from the roll, and means to vertically tilt the knife, whereby the edge of the knife may be brought closely into contact with the corresponding roll, for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination of the support, the rotatable rolls, adjustable boxes carrying one of said rolls, a knife holder adjustable toward and fro-1n theadjacent roll, adjustable brackets tosupport the knife holder, a knife in engagement with saidholder, and means to verticallytilt the edge of the knife to bring said edge into close contact with the corresponding roll, said brackets connected with the boxes of one of said rolls, whereby said brackets and corresponding boxes may yield simultaneously, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the support, the ro- V tatable rolls, the brackets engaged upon said support, a knife holder, a base connected with said brackets to support said knife holder, an adjusting screw to adjust the knife holder upon. the base toward and from' the adjacent roll, a cap, an intervening knife located between the knife holder and the cap, said knife holder and cap provided with adjacent edges bearing upon the knife and forming a fulcrum for the knife, and set screws at intervals lengthwise of the knife to vertically adjust the knife to tilt the knife upon said fulcrum, whereby the knife may be brought closely into contact with the corresponding roll, substantially as described. The combination of the support, the rotatable rolls, brackets engaged upon said support, a connecting base uniting said brackets, a knife holder upon said base, a knife upon said knife holder, a cap forming a part of the knife holder to clamp said knife in place,

means connected with said base to adjust the knife holder, and means engaged with said cap to adjust the knife, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a yieldingly mounted roll, a knife acting upon said roll and mounted to tilt toward and from the surface of the 1-011, means for tilting saidknife to adjust it relatively to theroll andholding it rigidly in adjusted position, and a supthe rotatable rolls, the support, an adjustable knife holder, including a cap, a knife held in placebeport on which the knife is mounted having a simultaneous yielding movement with the roll, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a roll, a knife acting upon said roll, a rigid fulcrum on which the knife is mounted to move edgewise and tilt toward and from thesurface of the roll, and set screws at intervals lengthwise of the knife arranged to tilt the knife upon said fulcrum to adjust the knife relatively to the roll and hold it rigidly in adjusted position. substantially as described.

11. In a machine for treating tobacco stems, the combination of stem flattening rolls rotating at different surface speeds and set close together under such pressure as to compress the stems into a thin film on said rolls, means for circulating liquid through said rolls to secure the (18S1I'6Cl temperature of the rolls, knives mounted on rigid fulcrums to tilt toward and from the surface of said rolls and arranged to cut the product off said rolls in a thin film, and means for tilting said knives to adjust them relatively to the rolls and hold them rigidly in adjusted position, substantially as described.

12.. In a machine for treating tobacco stems, the combination of stem flattening rolls rotating at different surface speeds and set close together under such pressure as to compress the stems into a thin film on said rolls, means for circulating liquid through said rolls to secure the desired temperature of the rolls, knives mounted on rigid ful crums to tilt toward and from the surface of said rolls and arranged to out the product off said rolls in a thin film, and set screws set at intervals longitudinally of the knives for tilting said knives to adjust them relatively to the rolls and hold them in adjusted position, substantially as described.

13. In a machine for treating tobacco stems, the combination of stem flattening rolls rotating at different surface speeds and set close together under such pressure as to compress the stems into a thin film upon said rolls, means for circulating liquid through said rolls to control the tempera ture of said rolls, one of said rolls being yieldingly mounted to move toward and fro the other, knives mounted upon fulcrums to tilt toward and from the surface of said rolls and arranged to cut the procluct off said rolls in a thin film, set screws at intervals longitudinally of said knives for tilting said knives to adjust them toward and from the rolls and hold them rigidly in adjusted position, and supports for said knives, the support for the knife co-acting with the yieldingly mounted roll having a simultaneous yielding movement with said roll, substantially as described.

14. The combination of a yielding roll, a knife acting upon said roll, a rigid fulcrum on which the knife is mounted to move edgewise and tilt toward and from the surface of the roll, and set screws atintervals len 'thwise of the knife arranged to tilt the knife upon said fulcrum to adjust the knife relatively to the roll and hold it rigidly in adjusted position, and a support for the knife fulcrum lnving a simultaneous yielding movement with the roll, substantially as described.

15. In a machine for treating tobacco stems, the combination of stem flattening rolls rotating at different surface speeds and set close together under such pressure as to compress the stems into a thin film upon said rolls, one of said rolls being yieldingly mounted to move toward and from the other roll, and cutters rigidly mounted relatively to the rolls and arranged to cut the product off said rolls in a thin film, the cutter for the yieldingly mounted roll being mounted to move with said roll in its movement toward and from the other roll, substantially as described.

16. In a machine for treating tobacco stems, the combination of stem flattening rolls rotating at different surface speeds and set close together under such pressure as to compress the stems into a thin film on said rolls, means for circulating liquid through said rolls to control the temperature of said rolls, and cutting devices arranged to out the product off said rolls in a thin film, substantially as described.

17. In a machine for treating tobacco stems, the combination of stem flattening rolls rotating at different surface speeds and set close together under such pressure as to compress the stems into a. thin film on said rolls, means for circulating liquid through said rolls to secure the deslred temperature of the rolls, knives mounted to tilt toward and from the surface of said rolls and arranged to cut the product off said rolls in a thin film, and set screws at intervals lengthwise of the knives to adjust them relatively to the rolls, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK LAUHOFF. Witnesses N. S. WRIGHT, MARY I'IIOKEY.

Copies of this patent may ;be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

